Kurai
Kikalevice, or as he calls himself, Kurai, is the 12th and youngest Ophanim of the Heavenly Host, who disgraced himself by consuming a human soul to inhabit a mortal body in order to protect Karla Graye. Early Life in the Heavenly Host '''Kurai was the youngest Ophanim to exist in the Heavenly Host. He is the only ophanim to not be renowned for a virtue, due to his fall. Kurai suffered unspeakable horrors and torture for centuries at the hands of his brethren because of his small, frail wings, and his age and beauty, making him the most beautiful of the ophanim. Due to this, Kurai spent a lot of his time watching and obsessing over the perils of humans to escape. Over time, he developed an infatuation with the Raveni Karla Graye, and disgraced himself from the Heavenly Host in order to aid her in her war against the Highest, having felt forsaken by his father who had allowed for him to be abused by his brethren. The Death of Luka Alexander 'Kurai, unable to have a body forged for him to exist on Viatum, manipulated the human boy Luka Alexander whose prayers had risen above all others. Due to Luka's relationship and closeness to Karla Graye, and his prayers wishing for his suffering to end, Kurai convinced the boy to offer up his body to use as his vessel. Kurai consumed Luka's soul when taking over his body, and aided Karla Graye in opening the seals of the gate of Sathanus. 'Karla, learning that her daughter possessed the powers of resurrection, ordered Kurai to take her life and to watch over Kallista until the time came for her to be brought back to life and re-assume the mantle of Ouroboros. '''Personality "I’m not made to love. If I had been, I'd be as pathetic as a human. Your species is weak and pathetic, and shouldn't have lasted as long as you have. I'm glad I'm not like you... the though of being human makes me sick to my stomach."'' ― ''Kurai Kurai, as an ophanim, was curious and naive during his tenure in the Heavenly Host. Ophanim, being unable to indulge in emotions, Kurai was an anomaly, highly emotional and empathetic to begin with. However, as time passed and the abuse and torture he suffered at the hands of his brethren, predominantly Mikhail and Gabriel, Kurai grew to resent not only the other ophanim, but the Highest for allowing him to suffer. Due to this, he became closed off in nature and unfeeling. He has an addictive personality, bordering on obsessive, and uses a variety of drugs to silence the prayers he suffers, and to disconnect himself from feeling emotions. He is naturally persuasive, and uses his good looks to get what he wants, especially from women. He uses sex and drugs as a means of escape and disconnect from his feelings. He lacks empathy and compassion for the greater part of the series, with an ingrained disregard for the value of human life, going so far as to committing murder just to sate his curiosity and for his own personal gain. He is also capable of bouts of inconsolable rage, which results in violent outbursts, typically resulting in the deaths of many. Once Kurai had taken Luka's body as his vessel, he found it difficult to control his emotions. Carrying out what Karla had asked of him, and taking her life, caused Kurai to become taciturn and monotonous, as he disconnected himself from his emotions. As time passes, and Kurai grew to know Kallista Graye, he develops the ability to feel again, and sees this as his greatest weakness, because he had prided himself on his inability to feel emotion. Being re-united with Karla, Kurai is once again unable to control his emotions, causing him to become unstable, due a great deal in part to the degradation and deterioration of his human vessel, and the guilt he has been left with, and the rising voices of prayers that haunt him. After the events of Inferno, he becomes increasingly unstable and volatile. After the death of Leon, he goes into a catatonia, unable to deal with the grief and guilt after losing the only family that had ever cared about him. Once he is saved by Eli Zurikova and Kallista Graye, he develops crippling addiction and is suspected to have gone insane. Appearance Kurai is described as ethereally beautiful, with pale skin almost as white as snow. He has permanent dark bags around his eyes that never seem to disappear, and he rarely smiles. His left eye is a light, crystalline blue like the morning sky, and his right eye is a fair, chocolate brown color. He has jet-black hair, messily styled, with his bangs typically covering his right eye. He has enormous scars on his back that are painful to touch, remainders of where his wings once were. He stands tall at 5'9" but typically slouches, making him appear slightly shorter than he is. He also has a habit of biting down on his thumb when he is frustrated, or deep in thought. Powers and Abilities Despite being fallen, Kurai inhabiting a human vessel is still capable of a number of feats outside of the Heavenly Host. He can teleport at will, heal wounds and tear living creatures. He is virtually indestructible, save for his soul-bond to Kallista, and possesses incredible physical strength. He is also capable of advanced memory manipulation. Relationships Relationship with Kishou Kurai was only close with one other ophanim in his brethren, and that was Kishou, Leon, the sole ophanim who had attempted to protect him and look out for him. He spent most of his time with Kishou if not alone, and Kishou spent a great deal of his time trying to guide Kurai away from decisions that would lead to his fall. The death to have impacted Kurai's sanity the greatest is Kishou's, when he sacrificed himself to heal Kurai during the events of Inferno. Relationship with Kallista Graye "Well, it certainly wasn't because I had feelings for her." ― Kurai to Dimitri about KallistaCinder Kurai, initially had resented Kallista for a number of reasons, particularly for the death of Karla, having blamed her solely for Karla's death. However, as time passed, and Kurai and Kallista grew closer, he grew to love her, but is incapable of understanding and comprehending how to love her, or what it means to love someone. He took Kallista's virginity and in the process tore a piece of her soul away, thus releasing her from being directly controlled by the Council, but also to slow the deterioration of his human body. It is uncertain as to whether Kurai and Kallista's first instance of intimacy was due partly in fact to him falling in love with her, or if he had done it solely to release her from the Highest's influence. Relationship with Karla Graye Kurai developed an obsession with Karla Graye after watching her after she was chosen as Raveni Ysera. He followed her life closely, and learned of her plans to overthrow the Highest, and wanted to align himself with her, going so far as to fall from the Heavenly Host in order to be close to her and to help her achieve her goals. He has an unhealthy, unrequited adoration for Karla that he misconstrues as love, but learns over time that Karla is incapable of loving him back and that she manipulated him for her own means. Relationship with Dante Alexander His relationship with Dante is strained throughout the entirety of Dante's life. Kurai covers his blue eye with his bangs to prevent Dante from seeing the monster he has turned his brother's body into, and due to this it is believed that Kurai must harbor some affection towards Dante for wanting to protect him. Kurai is, and always has been, jealous of Dante's relationship and closeness with Kallista. Relationship with Mikhail and Gabriel Kurai is deathly afraid of his brethren Mikhail and Gabriel, having been a victim of their systematic torture, rape and abuse for centuries during his time spent in the Heavenly Host. He had suffered the loss of his wings due to their hands, and becomes practically catatonic whenever they are near or mentioned, having developed a serious post-traumatic stress disorder due to the years of abuse suffered by their hands. Relationship with The Highest Kurai had initially loved his father at the dawn of his creation, but through his neglect grew to resent The Highest and all of his creations, including the human race. Kurai's actions are guided by his desires to destroy the Highest. Trivia * Kurai's left eye is crystalline blue, and his right eye is a light chocolate brown. * Kurai does not need to eat to sustain himself, but he does have a sweet-tooth. * Kurai's favorite instrument is the violin, his most favorite piece of music is Debussy's Violin Sonata in G Minor. * He is fluent in every spoken and written language, but is reluctant to speak in the Old Word. * Kurai does not drink alcohol. * Kurai hates licorice. * His favorite color is green. Category:Characters